The Science in This world we live in

Title: This world we live in

Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer

Publisher: Marion Llyod books

Date: 2010

Book Trailer of This world we live in

It’s been a year since a meteor collided with the moon, catastrophically altering the earth’s climate. Miranda and her two brothers spend their days scavenging for food and household items, while their mother stays at home and desperately tries to hold on to the ordinary activities of their previous life. But they all know that nothing is truly normal in this surreal new world they live in.
The struggle to survive intensifies when Miranda’s father and stepmother arrive with a baby and three strangers in tow. One of the newcomers is Alex Morales, and as Miranda’s complicated feelings for him turn to love, his plans for his future thwart their relationship. Then a devastating tornado hits the town of Howell, and Miranda makes a decision that will change their lives forever.

The science in the book...

The science in this book is about a meteor colliding with the moon and moving the moon alot closer to earth. The gravitational pull causes natural disaters like earthquakes and tsunamis and also makes the earth's climate different. For example the days are much longer and colder. The aspect I will be focusing on is the affect of the moon's orbit being closer to earth and the long term affect.

Questions:

1) What does the moon's orbit around the earth look like right now and how does it effect earth?2) What would change on earth be like if the moon's orbit was much closer to earth?3) What would be the long term effect of the moon's orbit being much closer to earth?/ What if the moon did ont exist at all?

What does the moons orbit around earth look like right now and how does it effect earth?
This video is a great example of what the moon's orbit around earth looks like now.
The moon's average distance from earth is approximately 384,400 km. It takes the
moon 27.322 days to orbit the earth once. The main impact the moon has on the
earth is the ocean tides but it also effects the orbit of the earth.

What would change on earth be like if the moon's orbit was much closer to earth?
If the moons orbit was closer to earth, the moon's gravity would have a more dramatic slowing effect on the earth. The moon would always be over the same position of the earth and the earth day would be much longer. There would be no tides in the ocean. A solar eclipse would also be much different. The moon would cast a much larger shadow on the earth and it would always be in the same location on earth.

The article in this magazine explains the impact on earth if the moon's orbit was much closer.
Click the Link below for more details...

What would be the long term effect of the moon's orbit being much closer to earth?/ What if the moon did not exist at all?
Well in this book (below) the earth would rotate more than three times faster than it currently does, our tides would be alot lower. There would be recurrent gale-force winds like those on Jupiter, making it a challenge for tall animals or humans to evolve. The atmosphere would have taken millions of years longer to convert from one dominated by carbon dioxide to the life-giving nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere of today.

What If the Moon Didn't Exist?: Voyages to Earths That Might Have Been